15-year-old Aderibigbe wins PZ Chemistry Challenge

Fifteen-year-old Aderibigbe Eniola Peace of Babcock University High School has won the 2019 PZ Cussons Chemistry Challenge, smiling home with N1m, laboratory equipment for his school and N100,000 for his chemistry teacher, among other gifts.

Adele Chika of Jephthah Comprehensive Secondary School, Port Harcourt and Ojuba Mezisashe Shalom of Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja came second and third respectively. Aderibigbe was the first student outside Lagos to win the competition, just like Shalom was the first female to qualify for the final.

Aderibigbe emerged after being shortlisted among the top six finalists from across the nation. The other students who got to the top six were: Andrew Ulan Sylvia, Premiere Academy, Abuja; Ugboma David Rex, Makun High School, Sagamu and Ndidi Christabel Chukwufumnanya, Demonstration Staff Secondary School, Asaba.

The students who made it to the top three received a trophy, a medal and N1,000,000, N750,000, and N500,000 respectively, while the 4th, 5th and 6th place finalists went home with consolation prizes.

The competition was sponsored by Premier and for better inclusion, a regional approach was adopted for the first time, making the competition national with three examination hubs in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt.

Aside this being the first time the competition went national, it was also the first time three females qualified for the finals. And for the first time, a female, Shalom of Loyola Jesuit College, Abuja scored the highest during the practical stage.

Over 7500 students competed in the first stage of the competition in an online CBT quiz across Nigeria, while the top 600 candidates qualified for a controlled CBT – 200 from each region; Abuja, Port Harcourt and Lagos. Thirteen candidates qualified from each region to sit for a practical exam during the third phase of the competition.